SHILLONG, FEB 26: Over 18 lakh voters are all set to determine the fate of candidates for the 59 out of 60 seats as Meghalaya goes to poll tomorrow. Election Commission has made all necessary arrangement to conduct a free and fair election.
From Sunday morning and today the polling parties have left for their respective polling stations with all the necessary materials including electronic voting machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trial (VVPAT) amid tight security.
The Election Commission has set up total 3083 polling stations across the state. Polling will start from 7 am to 4 pm.
There were altogether 370 candidates for the 60 Assembly constituencies in total. However, tomorrow poll will be held for 59 seats due to the death of NCP candidate of Williamnagar constituency (which has 9 candidates), Chief Electoral Officer FR Kharkongor told journalists.
Polling date for Williamnagar constituency is yet to be announced by Election Commission, he said. The constituency has 58 polling stations and a total of 32,345 voters which include 16,713 males and 15,632 females.
With this, the total number of candidates in the fray for the 59 seats has reduced to 361, including 31 females and 80 Independents.
It may be mentioned Meghalaya has registered 18, 31, 487 electorates – which include 9, 24,264 females and 9, 07,223 males.
Minus Williamnagar, 18, 09,818 eligible electorates including 9, 13,701 females and 8, 98, 739 males will cash their votes in the 3025 polling stations where over 15,000 polling officials have been pressed for duty during polling tomorrow.
Of these, a total of 89,045 are first time voters.
Asked, the chief electoral officer also expressed optimism that the elections in Meghalaya will be by and large peaceful as he appealed to electorate to come out and vote without fear.
“The electoral process has been put in place and there was no major violent incident as such barring the killing of a candidate in one pocket of Garo Hills and Meghalaya election is by and large peaceful,” he said.
In the last 2013 elections, the turnout of voters was at 87.97 percent.
Kharkongor said in the past, the voters turnout was as high as 87 per cent which shows people vote without fear even under the veil of militant threat adding but this time (the percentage is expected to be more) as there is no militancy call.
“I appeal to electorate that voting is a right of a voter and it is also a chance for the voter to express his/her voice and at the same time his/her duty to come out to vote as this is time for them to choose and select (the people to govern them),” Kharkongor said.
Meanwhile, 580 polling stations have been categorized as ‘vulnerable’ and 340 as ‘critical’ while 67 are both vulnerable as well as critical.
The CEO however said that the maximum vulnerable polling stations are located in South Garo Hills with 106 while 129 critical are in West Garo Hills District. In term of militancy affected polling stations, 80 are in East Garo Hills and 93 in South Garo Hills, he said.
Informing that 106 companies of CAPF have been deployed across the state to ensure free and fair conduct of elections, Kharkongor said one section comprising of 6-8 security personnel will be deployed for polling stations identified as vulnerable and critical.
He further said that flying squads are also on the job to keep watch on cash inflow and infact intensive checkings are also being conducted across the state.
Apart from this, there will also be 67 all women polling stations to be manned by women polling officers besides introduction of web casting for the first time in as many as 193 polling stations.
Making the polling station voter friendly especially for women folks, Kharkongor said that the all women polling station will also be equipped with crèche and anganwadi workers to take care of the female voters’ babies besides selfie booth will also be there.
He said that the first five early voters will also be awarded with election medals as a mark of recognition.
By Our Reporter
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